Here Y'all go again. Chps up to 10 are now up on the yahoo group... enjoy.
JMH
trandar2002@yahoo.com
As Joshua and Vard held each other in the secluded pool, they started to sing the song they had known before their birth, Joshua in his rich baritone, Vard with his deep bass. That was how Clive found them.
"Clive?" Vard said as they reached the end of the song.
"Sorry to interrupt you two... but I think there is something you both need to know."
"Oh?" Joshua asked.
"Yes... Adam is not the man he has tried to pass himself off as."
"You mean you too have noticed he seems a little over educated to be a country bumpkin?" Joshua chuckled.
"Yeah..." Clive nodded.
"So where is he from?" Vard asked as he and Joshua started to leave the water to join Clive on the banks.
"A world called Aegis," Clive replied.
"I don't remember ever hearing mention of such a world. Is it part of the Assembly?" Vard asked.
"Yes... it was one of the first worlds settled by the Guild. Lots of old families on Aegis... all Guildsmen."
"So... Adam is a Guild's man?" Joshua asked.
"If he is from Aegis he most likely is," Clive nodded. "Would not be surprised if he were a Van' something or other."
"Why... my last name is Van'dar?" Joshua asked confused.
"And are you not a Guild's man?" Vard reminded Joshua.
"Oh... I just did not know my last name had anything to do with that."
"The `Van' in front of your name is a sign of your nobility," Clive explained. "Only the oldest Guild families have that right."
"Like John Van'sol?" Joshua asked.
"Exactly..." Clive nodded. "My last name is Ron'sor... the `Ron' showing I am a member of the servant class. Now Adam... what would you like me to do with him?"
"Does he know you are aware of his home world?" Vard asked.
"He might..." Clive replied nervously.
"What do you mean he might?"
"Well to get him to talk, I sort of got him drunk. He's out cold and tied to a stalagmite," Clive replied.
"Wait a minute... you left Drake alone with this man?" Joshua suddenly realized.
"Uhmmm I guess I did..." Clive said guilty as he cringed from Joshua's hard glare.
"You can scold Clive later," Vard spoke up. "We need to get back and find out who Adam really is."
Climbing down to the bottom of the falls, back into the cave, Joshua went to check on Drake while Vard and Clive prepared to interrogate Adam.
"You have a way of waking him up?" Vard asked Clive after trying to shake the man awake.
"Yes," Clive nodded, reaching into his bag, he took out a restorative. "You don't drink Southfield Red without this."
Within a few minutes of giving Adam the injection the man started to open his eyes.
"Wakey, wakey, whoever you are!" Clive laughed.
"What... what's going on?" Adam demanded when he noticed he was tied down.
"We would like to ask you the same thing," Vard said darkly.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"That was not soup you fed Drake when he was sick, was it?" Joshua voice came from the back of the cave as he walked towards the others. "I don't know who you really are, but you saved the life of our son... for that I am grateful. I promise you, Adam, nothing bad will happen to you if you will just tell us the truth."
Adam made to shout out another protest of his innocence but, seeing the hard stares of the three men before him, he knew it would not work. So he remained silent. That was a mistake.
Vard... with all the powers of a Prelate inside him, looked toward Joshua. His husband gave Adam a final pleading look before nodding his head. Having Joshua's permission, Vard gathered his will and sharpened it to a fine point. He then sent it like a thrown spear into Adam's mind.
Adam's eyes went wide, the pain incredible, all his other senses going blind. And even though it only lasted for a brief moment, by the time he became aware again of his environment his clothes were soaked with sweat.
"Now will you talk or shall I repeat what I just did?" Vard threatened.
Adam shut his eyes tight in fear. He could not face such pain again. "No, no I will talk!"
"Then talk," Vard demanded.
"I don't know too much myself... I am only an acolyte."
Recognizing that term, Clive jumped. "An Inquisitor?"
"Yes..." Adam sobbed.
"We should kill him," Vard said flatly.
"No." Joshua protested. "He saved Drake's life."
"But he is the enemy!" Vard insisted.
"Please Vard..." Joshua begged. "I gave him my word."
"Joshua is right... well sort of right," Clive spoke up. "We should not kill him... yet. The man did save our son's life but how did he know Drake's life was in danger in the first place. It is a long way from Earth."
"Well?" Vard demanded as he arched an eyebrow.
"I don't know... you have to believe me!"
"Not good enough," Vard said as he made to strike again."
"Wait!" Joshua stopped his husband. "Adam... what do you know?"
"All I know was that the child's life was in danger, and that the Prelate would kill me if I failed to give him the antidote to the poison. Once that was done, I was to remain in your service to make sure nothing ever happened to Drake or you, Joshua," Adam said, his eyes pleading for mercy.
"That still does not explain how Falcon knew about the poisoning or why he wanted the son of Gerick to survive," Vard grumbled.
"I think we all have a good idea what happened though," Joshua sighed, as he slumped down on the floor.
"Oh?" Clive said, not yet able to put the pieces together.
"The baron might have been the one to put the poison in the water supply, but where did he get such a potent toxin... one that none of the doctors here on Wor could cure?"
"The Prelate..." Vard sighed now understanding the sudden look of pain on Joshua's face. Going over to Joshua, Vard sat down behind him, wrapping his long legs and arms around his husband to form a protective shell.
Joshua responded by leaning against Vard's body, letting the man comfort him. "Why did my father do this?"
"I don't know if we will ever know," Vard replied until he saw the guilty look on Adam's face. "You know... don't you?"
Adam jumped. "All I know are rumors."
"And what do the rumors say," Vard asked.
"It's no secret that the present Prelate is unstable..." Adam said diplomatically.
"I think the word you are looking for is insane," Clive chuckled.
"Be that as it may... I've heard stories... stories that the Prelate always refers to himself in the plural... we, our, us and such... that at night his screams can be heard throughout the Guild Palace as if he is fighting against someone. When the guards check on him however, he is always alone."
"And how do the servants explain all this?" Vard asked.
"They think the man the Prelate is fighting with is the ghost of the predecessor."
"Gerick!" Clive squeaked.
"Yes..." Adam nodded. "He did kill the man did he not? Would not Gerick's spirit want to haunt the man who replaced him?"
"Yes..." Joshua replied quietly. "But my father killed him to save me... he was my Protector."
"Is that possible Vard... are there such things as ghosts?" Clive asked.
"No... there're no such things as ghosts," Vard replied even as a dark suspicion grew inside him. He remembered Joshua telling him about Falcon's strange behavior during the weeks before Vard had taken Joshua away from Earth. For days Falcon had tried to keep Joshua away... as if he had seen himself as a threat to his own son. Then... the day Joshua had fled, Falcon had changed... insisting that Joshua marry him. Whatever battle Falcon had been fighting he had clearly lost that day. As to what kind of battle was lost, Vard was not certain... yet. He was more convinced than ever, however, that Joshua needed to be protected from his father, just as he had needed to be from Gerick.
"I'm out of ideas," Clive sighed. "What do you think we should do with this spy?"
"Kill him?" Vard suggested again.
"No... we shouldn't," Joshua spoke in an emotionally flat voice.
"But Joshua, he's not said anything of much value," Vard tried to protest.
"Yes... but we can use him," Joshua pointed out. "Now that we know he is a spy, we can feed misinformation to the Guild. Also, if we did kill him, the Guild would most likely just send another Inquisitor to replace him. We would have no certainty that we would be able to sniff him out the next time. So long as the Guild thinks they have a reliable spy amongst us, they will have no reason to send more."
"He's right you know," Clive quickly agreed.
"Joshua... did you figure this out on your own, or from reading all those books John sent you?" Vard grinned, impressed by his lover's logic.
"If I said I learned it from books, would you let Clive teach you how to read?" Joshua asked hopefully.
"When would I ever find the time?" Vard laughed. "No, my husband, I enjoy you reading to me at night. If I ever learned to read on my own, you might stop. One day, when our people are safe, I might have the time to learn... until then I leave that honor to you."
Joshua sighed. He knew better than to press the subject with Vard. If he pushed too hard, Vard was just the kind of man who would refuse to ever learn, just to not lose the argument.
"It's a good idea, Joshua... but won't we need Adam's cooperation," Clive asked.
"I think he will give it to us. If he doesn't, I just might let Vard kill him," Joshua smiled wickedly as Adam's face went pale.
Star General Robert was loyal, loyal to the office of the Prelate that is, but even still he found certain things about the recent Prelates particularly revolting. It was as if Gerick had never died, the two men were so similar. There were a few differences, however... Gerick had enjoyed making his victims into happy puppets. Falcon did not have the same taste for giving pain that Gerick did. Instead, he worked from the opposite end of the spectrum... the giving of pleasure. He would take an already committed member of the Brotherhood, and change that basic loyalty to a new extreme. Robert found the look of devotion that grew in these men's eyes causing a cold shiver to run down his back. Even now, Robert did not know which Prelate was worse. It was for that reason that the Star General hated giving his reports to the Prelate down in the dungeons... but, as he was loyal, he had no other choice.
Entering the dimly lit room, Robert was relieved to see he was coming in at the end of the Prelate's leisure activity... his latest love interest lying exhausted on a long table, Falcon lovingly stroking the man's back.
"General Robert... your report," Falcon demanded, his eyes not leaving the man on the table.
"Gerick's son has survived. Adam is now well implanted in the royal household."
"Good... We had doubts about you picking such a young Inquisitor for this important role. This time we are glad you proved us wrong. Have they already discovered our would be spy?"
"I am sure they have... Adam was only an acolyte, not yet trained in subterfuge. Additionally, they would have to be blind not to notice his eyes. Violet eyes, while common among Guild's men, are rare among the groundlings of Wor."
"Joshua and Vard might not know that, but Clive would." Falcon nodded. "Once they do sniff him out we expect Joshua will convince the others to let him live. Such is my son's weakness, which is all for the better. Adam would not be able to serve the purpose we have for him if he were killed."
"Correct My Lord." Robert nodded. "They will not ever fully trust Adam. They will always keep a close eye on him. He will be kept near Joshua and Drake regardless of where in the Void they try to hide."
"Good." Falcon grinned. He remembered meeting Adam; the young man had been interesting to say the least. Coming from one of the most influential of the old Guild families, Adam had none of the aura of guile and ambition that marked most of the descendents of the original founders of the Guild. While the young man had tried to appear worldly, Falcon had easily seen through the act to find the over pampered and naive core of Adam's personality. It was into that vessel that Falcon had transferred a tiny fraction of that which could only be called his twisted soul. Buried deep inside the young man, there was a connection to Falcon that he could follow regardless of distance or location. When the time came, and it was fast approaching, Falcon would be able to claim Joshua and Drake with little effort.